1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an automatic dishwasher comprising a basket for holding various types of cooking utensils. In one aspect, the invention includes an auxiliary basket mounted above the main basket. In another aspect, the auxiliary basket is removably mounted to the main basket or moveable between a use and a storage position.
2. Related Art
Automatic dishwashers are well known, especially those for use in household environments. A typical automatic dishwasher comprises a cabinet that defines a washing chamber, which is accessible through a moveable door. Typically, an upper and a lower basket for holding cooking utensils to be cleaned are provided within the washing chamber. A silverware basket is also usually provided and normally mounts to the lower basket. The upper and lower baskets are normally spaced so that larger utensils can be positioned in the lower basket and smaller utensils in the upper basket. Both the upper and lower baskets are slideably mounted within the washing chamber in such a manner that they can be slid substantially beyond the washing chamber to ease the loading of the baskets.
The types of utensils placed in an automatic dishwasher can vary greatly in size. Some utensils are very large, such as soup pots and roasting pans, other utensils are relatively small, such as silverware, serving spoons, and spatulas. The baskets must also accommodate the traditional utensils of plates, glasses, saucer plates, mugs, etc. Since the utensil composition can vary greatly from load to load, contemporary automatic dishwashers must be configured or easily adaptable to accommodate these various size utensils to maximize the number of utensils washed during a given load. The maximization of the number of utensils in each load is a great convenience for the user and also reduces energy and water consumption.
The shape of some utensils are such that they can effectively reduce the effective holding capacity of the automatic dishwasher, and thereby increase the need for multiple loads, resulting in an inefficient use of resources. An example of such a utensil is any utensil having a long and slender profile, such as a wooden spoon, a spatula, a ladle, etc. Often times, the length of these utensils makes it impossible for them to stand up within the silverware basket because the utensil will contact the other basket. To wash these type of utensils it is necessary to lay them down in either the upper or lower basket where they often extend across a substantial portion of the basket floor. Since for best cleaning it is not desirable to place other items on top of the elongated utensils, the elongated utensils fill a space that would otherwise accommodate many other utensils, effectively reducing the capacity of the given load.
It is desirable to have an automatic dishwasher that can accommodate all shapes and sizes of utensils without dramatically sacrificing overall capacity or reserving permanent space in one of the baskets for the odd shaped utensil.
The invention addresses the need for an automatic dishwasher that can accommodate various shapes and sizes of utensils. The invention relates to an automatic dishwasher comprising a cabinet that defines a washing chamber. The cabinet has an axis opening, which is closeable by a door that is moveably mounted to the cabinet between an open position and a closed position. A first basket is moveably mounted within the washing chamber and capable of movement between a use position and a load position. The first basket comprises a bottom wall, opposing front and rear walls, and opposing side walls that connect the front and rear walls to form a peripheral wall that extends upwardly from a bottom wall. An auxiliary basket assembly is provided and comprises an auxiliary basket support and an auxiliary basket that is removably mounted to the first basket by the auxiliary basket support. The auxiliary basket support supports the auxiliary basket above the first basket.
The auxiliary basket support preferably comprises at least one support that is rotatably mounted to the first basket for rotation between a support position, where the support is positioned to support at least a portion of the auxiliary basket, and a retracted position, where the support does not interfere with access to the utensil receiving area.
Preferably, the auxiliary basket support assembly supports the auxiliary basket in either of a side wall-to-side wall or front wall-to-rear wall orientation. When the auxiliary basket is in the side wall-to-side wall orientation and the at least one support is in the support position, the at least one support is generally parallel to one of the front and rear walls. When the auxiliary basket is in the rear wall-to-front wall orientation and the at least one support is in the support position, the at least one support is generally parallel to one of the side walls.
The automatic dishwasher can include a second basket which is moveably mounted within the wash chamber. The second basket is preferably disposed above the first basket.
The at least one support comprises a post and an arm that extends from the post. The post is generally parallel to a portion of the peripheral wall and is rotatably mounted thereto. The arm overlies the utensil receiving area when the support is in the support position and does not interfere with access to the utensil receiving area when the support is in the retracted position. The post is preferably located at a junction of one of the side walls in one of the front end rear walls. Thus, when the support is in the retracted position, the arm is substantially aligned with and adjacent to one of the side walls or rear wall. A second support can be provided and is preferably located at a junction of the other one of the side walls and the other of the front and rear walls.
The arm and the post can define a recess in which is received a portion of the auxiliary basket when the auxiliary basket is mounted to the first basket. Additionally, the arm and the post can further define a vertically orientated slot that is sized to receive at least a portion of the auxiliary basket and retain the basket in a substantially vertical position. The slot preferably has a mouth which opens into the recess to permit the movement of the auxiliary basket from a generally horizontal position to a substantially vertical position.
Preferably, the arm and post are made of shaped wire, with the arm comprising a base portion that terminates in an arm stop and the post comprising a base portion that extends in a direction opposite the arm base portion and terminates in a post stop. The recess is defined by the arm and post base portions and their corresponding stops.
The automatic dishwasher can further comprise a first clip that mounts the support to the first basket for rotation relative to the peripheral wall. The first clip preferably comprises an opening and first and second channels, which extend away from the opening and are angularly oriented relative to each other. The post is received within the opening to thereby permit the raising and lowering and rotation of the support relative to the first clip such that the arm can be received in the first channel to place the support in the support position or in the second channel to place the support in the retracted position. Preferably, the first clip is mounted at a junction of the one of the side walls with one of the front and rear walls. The first and second channels are preferably oriented at a right angle relative to each other. A second clip can be provided and is mounted to the first basket. The second clip defines a second opening through which the post passes. The post preferably includes an enlarged portion located below the second opening, with the enlarged portion being of a size to prevent it from passing through the opening of the second clip to thereby limit the amount the support can be raised relative to the first basket.
The auxiliary basket support assembly can further comprise a second support. The first support is located at a junction of one of the side walls and the front wall and the second support is located at a junction of the one of the side walls and the rear wall.
In another aspect, the invention relates to an auxiliary basket assembly for a dishwasher. The auxiliary basket assembly comprises an auxiliary basket and an auxiliary basket support that removably mounts the auxiliary basket to another basket.
In yet another aspect, the invention relates to an automatic dishwasher having an auxiliary basket assembly comprising a pair of auxiliary basket supports that support an auxiliary basket above a basket. Each of the supports have an arm for supporting the auxiliary basket in a use position and a slot for supporting the auxiliary basket in a stored position.